Since I love any excuse to talk about btvs, here's my thoughts on this post I saw: "btvs should have ended after s5"
I want to talk about what it would mean for buffy to end at s5:
Cause buffy at this point had sacrificed and suffered so much (dead mom, protecting a teenager from a hellgod, Xander being difficult every step of the way, being left or cheated on by her dad, angel and Riley- and the unimportant short-lived love interests, and much more), in season 5 we see buffy give up when dawn is taken, and we see her commit suicide at the end. So although I can see how the tragic fall of a hero can be interesting, I cannot come to terms with a buffy who gives up and in to her suicidal desires. Cause to me that's not who she is. She's a fighter and her whole world is unfair and throws so much at her, but she persists. So to me it's very important to see her overcome her depression in s6.
Another important part is her failing in everyday life, like so many hero types who live off of adrenaline are overwhelmed by day to day life. So I do think it nicely explores a wider teenage emotion range but is also giving the character depth.
We can see in an earlier episode with faith, that buffy does enjoy the killing to an extend, although officially always calling it a job. She does have a dark, violent side inside of her and I love that this part is explored, it's not pretty but it's real. I like that she struggles and is also an aggressor towards spike. She is allowed to be deeply damaged and finally works through her pain, unlike in earlier seasons where she just kinda gets over stuff after an episode or two (like dying?!). So I think in terms of character development it is very important for s7 where we can kinda see a reconciliation of different aspects within buffy.